The following committees, boards, and other groups have been created to provide advice to the U.S. Department of Education on policy and program issues. See an overview of the law that governs these committees.

In 1972, the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Public Law 92-463, 5 U.S.C., App) was enacted by Congress. Its purpose was to ensure that advice rendered to the Executive Branch by the various advisory committees, task forces, boards, and commissions formed over the years by Congress, the President and Government Agencies, be both objective and accessible to the public. The Act not only formalized a process for establishing, operating, overseeing, and terminating these advisory groups, but also created the Committee Management Secretariat (MS), an organization located within the General Services Administration (GSA) whose task is to evaluate and monitor Executive Branch compliance with the Act.